I can't speak to Illinois but Georgia is like most states in that the commercial trapping license and NWCO permit only appliesd to those species that fall under the authority of the licensing agency. In our case, as most, that is the Dept of Natural Resources or equivalent. This meqans the license/permit applies only to native wildlife and/or those species assigned to that agency. As a result in almost all jurisdictions I am aware of feral cats and other feral species are not covered under our NWCO license/permit. Actually they fall dead in the middle in most cases with no direct control by any governmental authority save maybe the local animal control authority which is usually governed by the state Dept of Agriculture or possibly some sort of Law Enforcement in some jurisdictions.In practice here in Georgia any feral or free ranging domestic species can be captured by any person when found on property under there control. Once under their control the animal must be surrendered to the animal control authority of the county where captured.

In reference to David's comments I would want to know from the local authority in my county/city/state. Here we have different laws in one city from another and from one county to another. Rather than run afoul of an issue like this one would be best to get the word printed straight from your service area governing bodies. Leaving legal issues surrounding feral animals up in the air can mean a big PR problem if the wrong thing is done even if lawful in another locale.

I take them to the local Humane Society, (3 branches), (not HSUS), and the County Dog Jail. When I bring in too many, and they start giving me the stink eye, I just switch off and go to another one. LOL Make sure to get a receipt, in case somebody tries to claim you're "Murdering" or dumping them.

I am from Illinois. If I take on a cat or dog job, I turn them into the local shelter. Let the shelter know first you are goi9ng to be doing that kind of a job. If you put a cat down andit belongs to a neighbor, it can get costley.

See, now here is another reason that I am proud to be from Wisconsin. Although we usually vote Liberal, we are much more Conservative on things other than voting. Feral cats almost became an animal to be used for target practice. Okay, HSUS shot us down, but that only means that when I catch a feral cat and take it in ( Oh, wait a minute, everything I say on this post can viewed by everyone in the world, so I'm done )

Kirk LaPierre (RIP) covered this issue in great detail several years ago. First off, each state has varying regs, so step one is to research the law. I personally will not touch a feral cat job due to the 99% chance of a really bad PR issue for my company. Also, Illinois regs for wildlife control do not include domestic animals. Assuming feral cats are not considered domesticated is a BIG mistake. They probably have more protection than humans, and most of the "cat people" are certainly among those who rate cats (in house or feral) above humans.

Kirk had contracts written up, as he actually did feral cat work. It can be profitable IF you do it in 100% stealth mode (even if legal) and you work for large companies or businesses. Here's the kicker: In most states, ANY cat captured had to be taken to a public animal shelter (local humane society) and could not be relocated, translocated, or killed. Problem was, most had "no room for any more" cats, so you were stuck.

His contract required the homeowner to have PRE-arranged a delivery shelter that WOULD ACCEPT all feral cats, and the homeowner or business owner had to transport the cat to the shelter. I think Kirk would get them into a transfer cage, as he didn't want to risk losing his traps. If the cat escaped somehow, the "blame" was on the homeowner, not the WCO. This is very important when you consider the actions of a lunatic cat owner who finds out you trapped their "family member". (You know, the family member that they let roam freely to be run over by a truck or shredded and eaten by a coyote)

If there were no shelters that would accept them, he would refuse the job. Keep in mind it is typically ILLEGAL to take a trapped cat "to a farmer" or anywhere else, regardless how much the farmer may want them on his property. (Of course most of the farmers I know HATE cats and would shoot me and the cat if I tried dropping one off)

Basically I'm suggesting (though you can do what you want) to stay away from dealing with cats. If you're looking at it as an income potential, you will find out it can be a very costly mistake in most cases. The county animal control (ACO) should deal with the problem if the request is made. That keeps you out of a bad situation and actually allows the property owner to get a little benefit from the taxpayer-supported county employee.

Very interesting article, Ron. Apparently there must be a law about cat lovers crossing the border into Wisconsin. We almost got the state to let us shoot them on sight. Come to think of it, it was probably someone from Illinois who saw what we were about to do and complained.

As much as I hate coyotes, even I have to admit that it's getting harder and harder to find a cat running around these days. I think that winter cats must taste like ice cream to a coyote.

Before you touch the first cat you had better known your law frontwards, backwards and every thing in between and then expect some idiot to nail your slats from all the way out in left field because it will happen. I can testify to that since according to a local magistrate judge "Georgia state law does not apply in Spalding county".

For the record in Georgia there is no such thing as a feral cat, they are free ranging domestics. By statute every county is required to enforce laws for the welfare of domestics to include the enforcement of leash/fencing laws and the control of those domestics found free ranging at large. The caveat is that there is not a single statute anywhere in the state that requires a cat to be leashed or contained (as there is for canines and other domestic stock) hence cats can not be declared free ranging at large so there is no duty by any county to capture free ranging cats. The flip side of the coin though is that without leash or registration laws pertaining to cats actual ownership of said cats boils down to simple possession, if it's on your property the assumption of law it is your's to dispose of. Now dispose of has limits of course though technically state animal cruelty statutes do not apply to "a pest or animal to be removed from a property or business". By the way, this is the law that does not apply in my county and a caught cat killed by a free ranging dog prior to the trappers return somehow constitutes misdemeanor cruelty to animals. Idiot judge! The only statute that governs is the requirement that all free ranging domestics must be surrendered to the county authority tasked with enforcing animal control, the same statute also mandates that the county must accept any animal found roaming at large. So we in Georgia always have a place to dump cats whether they want them or not, and most don't.

We almost got the state to let us shoot them on sight. Come to think of it, it was probably someone from Illinois who saw what we were about to do and complained.

I remember following that saga a few years ago. I was totally amazed how the support for shooting/killing free-roaming cats was about 85%!!!

Seems like the bill had already passed through the legislative process, and the "news" hit regarding the issue.... and suddenly the whole thing was reversed or vetoed. I was so proud of Wisconsin for dealing with the issue of feral cats, but then the fire went out. Crap.